ExistentialSMSism

Have you ever noticed that almost any SMS sounds like poetry?

Here's a few random samples from my mobile's inbox:

I'm sorry. It would drive anybody crazy. But it's just a problem that will be solved in 2008 I'm sure.

I would have a good time anywhere, just not at work for a while.

I've charged my batteries and packed my suitcase. I've also had my hair cut a little. Now I'm trying to tidy my apartment. My parents are coming to see me off. My ex-husband is taking me to the airport. Maybe it sounds selfish but I would just like to be alone. I'm taking your books with me.

At night stayed till 11 at work. I don't believe I am not there today.

The movie just ended.

Don't worry, I'm fine. Thanks.

Which question?

What were they doing, knocking down the walls?

I don't think you can help, but I should tell you anyway.

Happy New Year!

...наступающим новым годом!

...გილოცავთ ახალ წელს!

...Շնորհավոր Նոր տարի!

...Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

Mimino.Org Google Translation Services

I know that many of you don't read the Official Mimino.Org Blog, but this is a post you probably don't want to miss: Mimino.Org Google Translation Services

The Irony Of Fate

Hey, remember that cool, cool Soviet movie The Irony Of Fate?

Well, guess what? There they made a sequel!

Not only that, but it's really, really good. I mean, if you've seen the original, you might think that a sequel would be impossible (or worse it would just ruin the original). Fair enough, I thought so myself. But I was wrong. I was really wrong.

Let me say it again: It's really good.

And another thing: Do you remember when the French refused to support the US as it was preparing to go to war against Iraq? Do you remember the Freedom Fries?

Well, Russia and Georgia are almost at the point of war right now, but the main character of this very Russian Film is Georgian. Not only that, but here in Tbilisi tickets are sold out days in advance.

I think both Russians and Georgians should don't get the credit they deserve.

But anyway, never mind. Just see the film. Did I mention it's really good?

To All You Half Pagan Infidels

...Who celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December: well, Merry Christmas.

And to all of you, infidels or not, Happy New Year!

Honest, I mean it. I'm getting soft an mushy in my old age.

Cool Anti-Saakashvili Leaflet

In the upcoming elections every candidate has been assigned a number next to which his name will appear on the ballots.

Saakashvili's number is five, so hence this (found on a table at a local cafe):

What makes this doubly funny is the caption. It says, "Let's not suffocate", but the three letters in red in the middle of suffocate spell the number five in Georgian.

Neat also that by printing the leaflet on white paper they managed to make red and white (Saakashvili's campaign colors) look pretty Soviet.

I feel stupid having to say this, but just in case: comparing Saakashvili to the Soviet Union is ridiculous. The only reasonable commonality you could find would be that Saakashvili is bad (of course, a matter strictly of opinion).

Bulat Okudzhava And The Song About The Black Cat

My absolute all time Russian singer has got to be Bulat Okudzhava (Булат Окуджава).

You can read the Wikipedia Article about Okudzhava , so I'm not going to write about him here.

I think it would better if I tried to translating one my favorite songs by him:

The Song About The Black Cat

From the backyard to our lane way,
though what we call the back door
In that lane way, like the landlord,
lives neighbourhood's black cat.

He hides a smirk in his whiskers,
the darkness is for him a shield.
All other cats may sing and cry -
but from this one, not a sound.

He has long ago stopped mousing,
grinning behind his mustached snout,
It's like he’s hunting us in fact it seems,
for a piece of sausage-meat

Asking little, demanding nothing
his eyes a-yellow glowing in the dark.
We all may bring bring our food to him,
but we thank him as we go.

Day or night he utters not a sound -
he only eats his food and drinks his drink.
His dirty claws, they scrape the earth,
just as if they'd rip your throat.

And so to know the house in which we live,
brings no cheer to not a soul.
Better to have hung a light, I guess,
but for that the money we'll never have.

Here is an MP3 of the song.

And here is the original Russian lyrics:

Песенка Про Черного Кота

Со двора - подъезд известный
под названьем "черный ход".
В том подъезде, как в поместье,
проживает Черный Кот.

Он в усы усмешку прячет,
темнота ему - как щит.
Все коты поют и плачут -
этот Черный Кот молчит.

Он давно мышей не ловит,
усмехается в усы,
ловит нас на честном слове,
на кусочке колбасы.

Он не требует, не просит,
желтый глаз его горит.
Каждый сам ему выносит
и "спасибо" говорит.

Он и звука не проронит -
только ест и только пьет.
Грязный пол когтями тронет
как по горлу поскребет.

Оттого-то, знать, невесел,
дом, в котором мы живем.
Надо б лампочку повесить...
Денег всё не соберем.

By the way, if you like this song, check out my other favourite songs by him:

The Last Trolleybus (Последний Тролейбус): Lyrics in Russian - MP3

The Song About The Moscow Ant (Песня О Московском Муравье): Lyrics in Russian - MP3

The Paper Soldier (Бумажный Солдатик): Russian Lyrics - MP3

Ticket Bought

Well, for better or worse I've bought my ticket to Canada.

I really can't say that my time in Georgia has been a huge success.

I've failed to to rebuild my house, or even to get the permission to start construction. My apartment isn't really a huge success either, the renovation are bogged down, and I'm having a really rough time finishing the last 10% (for example, today the toilet started leaking after the third repair).

I've even failed to learn the Georgian. (Actually, I even failed to start, since I was busy with so the things above.)

My only really success has been Georgian citizenship. I even have a Georgian Passport now, but realistically they hand them out to anyone right now.

What makes this all even more confusing is I'm not even sure that I'm going home.

I mean, I've never really had a clear idea of where home is, but now the word home has completely lost it's meaning. I mean, I live in Tbilisi now. It's only my job that's in Ottawa

But though I'm not looking forward to leaving, it will be nice being back in Ottawa. I kind of miss my friends there. It will be nice speak my own language for a while. It will be nice to have regular access to a computer.

And even all here is not lost. I know I'll be back, and problems hardly ever go away on their own, so they'll be waiting for me when I get back.

And besides, all is far from lost. I'm still frantically working on getting my act together. It's far from over. I could get the building permit before I go, and there is every chance I'll pull off finishing the renovations too.

But one way or another, I'll be in Ottawa February 21, 2008.

At Tbilisi's Sulphur Baths...

One of Tbilisi's most famous attractions is its sulphur baths and, though I'm going to write a blog post on them real soon now, for the time being I want to tell you about a cool happening from a few days ago.

Though a bunch of friends and I go to the baths every Friday for beer, a massage, and general relaxation, since my apartment is being renovated and I haven't had hot water for several months, once a week just isn't enough and I go at least once a week besides Fridays. So twice a week, one with friends and once on top of that, I've gotten to know the owner of the particular bath I go to, Gulo, quite well.

The thing is that Gulo, like almost of the people that work at the Sulphur Baths is Azeri, and thought she certainly knows I'm Armenian (and this usually surprises many Armenians and Azeris from Armenia or Azerbaijan), in Georgia Azeris and Armenians from get along great. Well, at least most of the time...

...Last week, as I was coming out of my bath, I went to Gulo to pay her. I held out a hundred Lari note to her between my index and middle finger and kind of waved it at her in a gesture that was meant to ask if she had change for a somewhat large note.

Later on, I asked around and it turned out that here a gesture like handing money to someone like that isn't considered polite, and probably because of this, following ensued:

Gulo: "Don't hand me the money like that!"

Me: "OK, then how?"

Gulo (showing me): "Like this!"

Me (Switching my hold on the money): :OK, here, Can you change this?"

At this point one of the guys that works there giving massages , also an Azeri, comes over and in a good natured way says: "Gulo, why do you always hassling this guy, huh?

Gulo looks up at him smiling and says: "What? It's not enough that I gave him Karabakh?"

I know, translating this into English, maybe it doesn't sound so funny, but believe me, It was hilarious at the time...

Oh, by the way, if you don't believe that the Azeris and Armenians get along great here, almost all the Azeris I've met (including all of them at the baths) speak Armenian. The usually switch back into Russian, when the realize I can't speak Armenian all that well.

The week before last, an Azeri taxi driver, when he found out I was Armenian, pulled over and made me listen to his favourite Armenian singer before he would let let me out of his cab.

Georgia And It's (Alleged) Nationalism

Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili and Saakashvili's United National Movement as often accused of nationalism.

Is this really fair?

The Central Election Commission of Georgia has just announced that the ballots for the upcoming presidential elections will be issued in five languages: Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian, Russian and Ossetian.

This will be the second time Georgia has conducted multi-lingual elections.

Can anybody tell what other countries in former Soviet Soviet Union that do things like this?

About 30% of Latvia considers Russian it's native language, but they didn't even even give citizenship to any of the Russians after independence.

That's what nationalists look like.

I think people who call Georgia nationalistic either are misinformed or have an agenda.

Night Scenes From The Rose Revolution